No comments about Sphinx: History Of A Monument.

No comments about Creating the Cult of St. Joseph: Art and Gender in the Spanish Empire.

3 comments about Michelangelo: The Last Judgement - A Glorious Restoration.

1. Anyone can appreciate this book, hundreds of pages of full color glossy photos of zoomed in shots of paintings done on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.... remarkable. Not bad for the price, usually for this type of quality you'd easily spend another twenty bucks... it has wonderful art history, explanations, descriptions, and fantastic imagery that makes you oooh and ahhh...
   
   My only complaint is that the colors are more muted and aren't color-corrected... the representation isn't as close to what I saw in another book (with more vibrant realistic colors). But for the money, this is an excellent value.
   
   If you're willing to dish out extra money, I also highly recommend "Michelangelo: The Vatican Frescoes" which has by far THE BEST quality photos, more closer zoom shots, as well as in-depth descriptions and photos of how they keep up with the color restoration in the chapel itself.
   
   This book is good for the price, it really is. Especially if you are a fan of Michelangelo. This is probably the second best book out there in my opinion. The only one better is the one stated above.
   
   Good luck, hope you enjoy it!



2. Have you ever seen something that completely stuns your mind? This is exactly what happened to me when I first saw The Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel. Visually I was so overwhelmed that my mind just could not absorb this titanic Masterpiece. Thanks to the glorious photographs and comprehensive interpretation in this book, I realize how much more I have missed visually and spiritually. "Michelangelo:The Last Judgement-A Glorious Restoration" does this Masterpiece justice and reminds us of the God driven powers of Michelangelo. The pictures before and after the restoration are truly revealing and touching. They tell us of the tremendous effort Colalucci, Mancinelli and their team made to return this Masterpiece to mankind. Sirs, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
   And Yes I plan to return to the Sistine Chapel this year. Equipped with the knowledge gained from this marvellous book, I am sure this time I will know how to truly appreciate this sublime and colossal Masterpiece.



3. I must admit that for the longest time, my attention and focus, while studying Michelangelo, has been towards the Sistine Chapel. Most of the books I own on him devote numerous text and space to the ceiling, and a moderate take on the Last Judgement. It's not that I didn't appreciate the wall, or regard it as a masterpiece--truthfully, when I saw it in person, it floored me--I just didn't pay very much attention to it.

   Boy, was I missing out. After finishing the companion book, Sistine Chapel: A Glorious Restoration, I decided I should pick this one up as well (might as well complete the picture, so to speak).

   First of all, this book does not disappoint. The pictures are sumptuous and provide phenomenal detail. The Last Judgement is a very "busy" painting, with Michelangelo including approximately 400 figures, so it is easy to feel overwhelmed. This book systematically breaks the painting down into its various sections, detailing the thoughts (spiritual and secular) behind the depictions, bringing the fresco into focus.

   The book also describes the painstaking restoration the wall went through and its glorious results.

   After reading this book, I have a renewed vision and appreciation for this work. When I saw it in Rome, the wall stunned, scared and thrilled me all at the same time; this book brought that all back. Simply put, I love this book and consider it to be an important piece to my collection.

   Bravo.

No comments about Art As Spiritual Activity: Rudolf Steiner's Contribution to the Visual Arts (Vista Series, Vol 3).

1 comments about The Bible and the Saints (Flammarion Iconographic Guides).

1. I've looked around for 6 months for this type of guide book so was very pleased when I saw it in the giftshop of the Detroit Institute of Arts. They wanted $37 so Amazon's price of $20 is GREAT. The book is a succinct overview of the Christian saints and their imagery. If you enjoy Medieval or Renaissance Art, you've got to get this book. It gives you a tremendous cross-reference to identify the images to the saints. For example, if you see a wheel in the painting, you can look it up in the index. This will lead to Saint Catherine and gives a history of her. This is an in-depth and scholarly approach to Christian iconogarphy with lots of helpful pictures. Indispensable reference book!

No comments about Icons in Turkey.

1 comments about Piero Della Francesca: San Francesco, Arezzo (The Great Fresco Cycles of the Renaissance).

1. Confined to a small part of Italy Piero della Fransescalk is oone of the great artists of of the ages. Ginzbubg, a great historian, deals with all thje accounts of who and who is ij the paitinga to extract a plausible list of personalities. Acadmiec for experts, but an interestimg browse, with many illustrations to encourage the reader to see more of the paiktings.

3 comments about Symbols of Judaism (Symbols).

1. Ouaknin. Marc-Alain. "Symbols of Judaism," Barnes and Noble, 2003.
   
   Beautifully Done
   
   Amos Lassen
   
   "Symbols of Judaism" by Rabbi Marc-Alain Ouaknin is the English version of the book that has been a bestseller in France. We get a very good look on different aspects of the Jewish religion including the customs and rituals of the Holy Days and a guide to the holy texts and objects that play a part in the observance of the faith. The book consists of 30 chapters each concentrating on one symbol and accompanied by a beautiful full color photograph. Objects such as the Brit Millah (the circumcision ceremony), the synagogue, and the holidays are beautifully explained. It is pure pleasure to look through the book and the commentaries are excellent.
   The text is studious but fundamental and the introduction to the basic aspects of the religion answers many questions readers may have. It is a pleasure to both the eyes and the mind.



2. This book is wonderfuly done. It is full of beautiful photographs depicting the symbols described. The accompanying passages are simply written, easy for someone not familiar with Judaism to understand.



3. This book has two advantages : first, it is so magnificently illustrated that it will be a pleasure to your eyes and second, its text is well writen and provides good information about Judaism and its symbols, although mostly at a beginner's level.

   I do have a quite large library on the topic, but after I read it, I decided I had to buy a copy, for this book is really a must have for everyone interested in Judaism.

No comments about The Iconography of Islamic Art.

No comments about A Little Book of Devils & Demons (Little Books).